Kotas taxi firm poorly managed: Official
Kotas taxi firm poorly managed: Official
JAKARTA (JP): An official said on Saturday the Kotas taxi company, one of whose cabs was used in a Jan. 21 rape and robbery, failed to properly manage its fleet of taxis and drivers.
"The existence of Kotas taxi is unclear. We have had difficulties coordinating taxi matters with the company's management as they repeatedly move their office," Izak Rumaedi, chairman of the taxi section at the Jakarta chapter of the Association of Public Land Transportation Owners (Organda), told The Jakarta Post.
He said the company never reported its new address to the association when they moved their office.
"The company rarely even sends its progress report to Organda, including an updated list of its banned drivers," he said.
The Post searched for Kotas' address on Saturday, but could only discover that the company's office had recently moved from Korga Meeting Hall on Jl. Haji Kamad, Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta.
None of the nearby residents knew the company's new address.
Izak said Organda had issued a warning to the company to properly manage its taxis.
"The company does not have a taxi pool. Because (the taxis) are not parked in the pool, the chances are greater that they will be misused .... Drivers can lease the taxis to anybody," he said.
Izak said the government had the authority to impose sanctions on the company. "The city administration has the authority to issue and revoke the company's operating license."
He also said the driver and rapist allegedly involved in the Jan. 21 attack should receive stern sentences.
"The judges should impose heavy jail sentences on the alleged driver and rapist as a deterrent to other drivers not to commit the same crime," he said.
Izak also suggested the government enact a regulation to protect the rights of taxi passengers. "The government should propose a bill to protect passengers from violence when they are riding in taxis."
He said all taxi passengers were insured against traffic accidents. "But, I have no idea whether the insurance also covers victims of violence.
"The government should regulate the inclusion of insurance for rape victims and other victims of violence," he said.
Izak said the organization put an average of 80 people on its list of remiss taxi drivers each month.
"Those drivers violated either the company's rules or committed crimes, including hitting pedestrians, assaulting passengers or crashing their taxis into other cars," he said.
He said Organda received the drivers' names from the government and circulated them to all taxi companies.
"This is meant to prevent other companies from hiring the black-listed drivers in the future," he said.
The rape in the Kotas taxi occurred on the evening of Jan. 21. Four men allegedly raped and robbed a young woman they picked up on Jl. Melawai in South Jakarta.
South Jakarta Police arrested the four suspects 12 hours later. They were identified as Rusdi, who alleged drove the taxi and raped the victim; Koming, who allegedly raped the victim after hiding in the taxi's trunk; and Iwan and Suhadi, who abetted the other two suspects.
Organda, with a membership of 30 taxi firms, was established in 1962. Its purpose is to bridge the interests of the government and land transportation companies. (asa)